"Unfortunately, the Internet has fallen short of its promises in some other aspects, as its benefits have not fully reached people in the bottom of the income distribution. For example, skilled workers are better able to leverage the Internet to increase their earnings, whereas unskilled workers fac
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e a higher risk of having their jobs automated. High-productivity firms are more likely to use the Internet to grow their business, while mom-and-pop stores face the risk of being displaced. Rich countries, which tend to have stronger institutions than poorer countries, are better equipped to use the Internet to fight corruption and hold public officials accountable. In other words, the past three decades have shown that the benefits of achieving universal Internet access or increasing the size of the information and communication technology sector will not fully materialize unless governments improve their business environment, invest in human capital, and enhance their institutions. This message cannot be emphasized enough, especially for countries in the ECA region with a long tradition of distortionary industrial policies aimed at cherrypicking winners and losers. Reaping Digital Dividends: Leveraging the Internet for Development in Europe and Central Asia provides a framework for governments in the region to maximize the impact of the Internet on poverty reduction and shared prosperity. It highlights the diverse yet surmountable set of challenges. Although many people in the East remain unconnected, the experience of their neighbors to the West shows that achieving nearly universal Internet access does not guarantee success. For example, several factors hamper technology adoption among firms, while rigid regulations constrain the expansion of the sharing economy. This report argues that reaping digital dividends requires policies focused not only on the telecommunications sector but also on the analog complements, such as skills and the business environment. It also highlights that governments should be prepared to address the disruptive effects of new technologies and facilitate the transition of displaced workers to new and more productive jobs." (Foreword)
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"Examines how policymakers, the donor community, and the private sector have prioritized and sequenced ICT initiatives in the aftermath of conflict. Case studies look at countries at different stages of post-conflict reconstruction in Afghanistan, Liberia, Rwanda and Timor-Leste, and postrevolution
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in Tunisia. In addition, the report proposes a conceptual framework to understand how ICTs can contribute to improving service delivery and assisting with nation-building. The opening of the report gives an overview of the relationship between conflict, reconstruction, and the role of ICTs. It builds on experience within the Bank as well as on a wide range of practitioner, academic, and other literature. The second seeks to establish a framework for understanding the ways in which ICTs interact with societies in transition from violence to stability, and for leveraging their potential to further that transition. The roots of this lie in understanding two fields of study, policy and practice: analysis of conflict and post-conflict reconstruction, and analysis of ICTs and the development of an information society. three then analyses the relationship between these two fields and proposes a framework for analysis and policy development. The fourth makes a number of recommendations to the World Bank Group, to other donors and development actors, as well as to the governments of countries emerging from violent conflict, and suggests areas for further research." (Back cover)
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"Analyzes the growth and evolution of mobile telephony, including the rise of data-based services delivered to handheld devices through “apps” (applications) and other ways. Summarizing current thinking and seeking to inform the debate on the use of mobile phones to improve livelihoods, the repo
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rt looks, in particular, at key ecosystem-based applications in agriculture, health, financial services, employment, and government, with chapters devoted to each, and explores the consequences of the emerging “app economy” for development. The global conversation is no longer about the phone itself, but about how it is used and the content and applications that it opens up. These apps and “mash-ups” of services, driven by high-speed networks, social networking, online crowdsourcing, and innovation, are helping mobile phones transform lives in developed and developing countries alike." (Back cover)
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"The second edition of the World Information Society Report, published by ITU and UNCTAD, looks beyond the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS, Geneva 2003 - Tunis 2005) to the creation of an inclusive, people-centred and development-oriented Information Society, open to all. The report tr
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acks progress in digital opportunity for 181 economies over the past few years since the start of the WSIS process and is accompanied by a series of tables providing the latest statistics on the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) worldwide. The report has been created by the “Digital Opportunity Platform”, an open multi-stakeholder platform with contributions from governments, private sector, academics and civil society, as well as inter-governmental organisations." (Back cover)
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